Energy is estimated to account for 35% of a glass manufacturer’s variable costs. Therefore, it is clear that energy consumption and management is set to be a critical business issue for the sector going forward. Steve Martin reports.

According to Steve Martin, it is time for glass manufacturers to realise the true potential of industrial data platforms to drive efficiencies, optimise plant performance, reduce operating costs and inform long-term investment strategies, as global competition in the sector intensifies.

Germany's HORN Glass was responsible as general contractor for planning, manufacturing and commissioning an entire float glass production line at Caspian Flat Glass in Dagestan. Siemens' solutions were put to use for the process control system, network technology and power distribution, as Bernhard Saftig explains.

Under the leadership of British Glass, the UK glass sector is making a determined effort to confront current skills, training and global challenges to secure a prosperous, viable and competitive future. Working in partnership with the technical vision and financial support of Siemens, British Glass is embarking on a game-changing growth strategy for the sector, exemplified through the creation of what will be an inspirational UK Glass Innovation Centre, based in Sheffield. Steve Martin looks at some of the far-reaching steps being taken to secure the glass sector’s future.

The glass industry demands especially reliable, precise and energy-efficient power controls that not only ensure transparency but maximise process safety, increase productivity and reduce operating costs. Oliver Krapp discusses the integration of Thyro-P digital thyristor power controllers by Advanced Energy into a plant-wide automation solution provided by Siemens. The solution package not only includes the hardware but also design, project planning and commissioning.

Despite wishing to grow independently, North American system integrator RoviSys still prioritises its close co-operation with Siemens. As a Siemens Solution Partner, RoviSys supplies the glass industry with sophisticated and innovative solutions for process automation, all the way to plant-wide automation. Together, the two companies bolster each other’s strong position in the market, says Oliver Krapp.

With national productivity performance considered to be critical in driving UK economic growth, Steve Martin shares some of the key points from a recent Siemens consultation that asked manufacturers - including those in the glass sector - what they consider to be the critical areas of focus to support manufacturers. The summarised opinions can be viewed as an essential 'Blueprint for the Future of UK Manufacturing', with a collective manufacturing voice sending a strong message to policy makers.

According to Steve Martin, glass manufacturers need to ready themselves as the digitalisation of industry gathers pace. Connected, flexible and intelligence-led technology solutions are set to drive marked manufacturing productivity and performance improvements but the glass sector must embrace all that Industry 4.0 entails and take the first strategic steps on a digital journey that can underpin future success.

Steve Martin outlines how Siemens is realigning its market proposition towards a service-based offer to help manufacturing customers better meet the challenges of global competition, embrace the benefits of a digitised future, make superior strategic investments and improve cash flow and profits.

A Europe-wide study by German industry association VDMA and McKinsey(1) forecasts that more than 10% of revenue in the mechanical engineering industry alone will be generated using data-based business models by 2020. According to Bernhard Saftig, open standards, powerful communication networks and integrated automation and drive technologies are also of great importance to the glass industry in this regard, as it heads toward Industry 4.0.

According to Manuel Keldenich, every industry sector has its own innovation cycles. Often they are linked to plant life cycles. The fact that plants in the process industries operate 30 years or more does not mean that less progress is made here than in the manufacturing industry. Instead, the change is ongoing, so technologies that combine future security with the protection of investments are clearly advantageous. Siemens AG succeeds at this balancing act with the help of a combination comprising recently developed distributed I/O lines and an update of its control system.

Steve Martin outlines how Siemens is starting to work with glass manufacturers to tackle two key business challenges: The rising cost of energy consumption and unlocking the value that digitalisation offers to drive productivity enhancements and support improved competitiveness. The answer lies in Siemens delivering business value 'outcomes' that positively impact the bottom line, without the need for companies to make capital expenditure investments today.